Blaupunkt cassette auto play/fast fwd - mikem004
1995 K11 Nissan Micra. Blaupunkt radio/cassette, factory standard.

The auto play cassette has suddenly stopped functioning. Radio is OK.
Normally, you slot a cassette in and it should start to play.
Also, the Fast Forward is not working. Press the FF and the "spools" do not rotate as they should.

Any ideas on this?
Thanks
Mike
Blaupunkt cassette auto play/fast fwd - lauriew
It maybe the drive capstan that has become polished causing the tape not to drive. It is a small steel spindle that presses against the tape. It just needs to rubbed with fine "wet & dry".
Our local car-radio shop used to remove them & sandblast them with our sparkplug cleaner.
Blaupunkt cassette auto play/fast fwd - Dynamic Dave
If it's from the same stable as the Philips, then it's more than likely to be the rubber drive belt that's stretched [1]. Did it start to play slower or had trouble rewinding or fast forwarding tapes prior to packing up?

[1] This then starts to slip and in turn makes the pulley it drives get hot. The pulley is glued onto an aluminium disc - the additional heat then separates the plastic pulley from the aluminium disc, and that will need replacing as well as the drive belt.
Blaupunkt cassette auto play/fast fwd - mikem004
No real advance signs of failure, to be honest.
I haven't used it since Xmas. Then tried a tape last week, which didn't work. So I blamed the tape. Then tried a few others this week.

Since pressing Fast Forward doesn't make the innards rotate and it must be a drive belt failure as you say.

Can you buy drive belts at Halfords? Or is it possible to patch up the existing one -- presumably I have to see if I can did it out...

Theres not a lot you can do, though, just poking through the "letter box"!

Mike
Blaupunkt cassette auto play/fast fwd - Dynamic Dave
Can you buy drive belts at Halfords?


No. Try somewhere like Tandy, or Maplins.
Or is it possible to patch up the existing one


Er, no.
presumably I have to see if I can did it out...
Theres not a lot you can do, though, just poking through
the "letter box"!


You'll need to remove it from the dash (got the security code handy?) and then remove the casing. More than likely it will be held together with torx screws. If you're careful you can sometimes get these undone using watchmakers screwdrivers.